Rising Sun
by Skye Evans
Summary: Jacob and Renesmee's love story. When they start to redefine their relationship, everything gets complicated. What else do you expect from Bella and Edward's daughter?
1. Birthday Presents

_Author's Note: This is just what I imagine will happen to the Cullens after Breaking Dawn. I don't own Twilight or pretty much any of these characters. I highly appreciate reviews :D Enjoy!  
_

**Renesmee**

I stared into my closet-which was roughly the size of a normal bedroom. My aunt Alice routinely restocked it with the latest fashions and it changed so often I never knew what anything was. Today was my sixth birthday and it had taken me absolutely forever for me to convince my aunts to let me dress myself. They loved dressing me up, but I knew I was old enough to choose what I wanted to wear.

I knew what I wanted to wear. I wanted something that would make Jacob, my best friend since birth, notice me. I mean, he always noticed me but I wanted him to notice me as a young woman, not like a little sister.

That probably sounds weird coming from a six year old. Sorry. See, I'm not like other girls my age. I'm a half-vampire. So, though I'm technically only six years old, my body looks about fourteen or fifteen and my mind is developed way beyond that. According to my grandfather, Carlisle, I have hyper-intelligence and a photographic memory. I also have a special gift of making others see my thoughts through touch. But despite all these things, I still want what any other teenage girl wants. I want my crush to fall in love with me.

I went back to closet-searching, finding a rich maroon colored dress. I tried it on and it hugged my body in all the right places, its shimmery material making my skin even more pale and beautiful. I looked in the mirror and twirled around. It showed just the right amount of skin, without being slutty, and came to about my knees.

I picked a pair of silver sparkly heels and set to work on my make-up. I, however, decided against make-up, knowing that it didn't work right on my skin, no matter how I put it on. It always seemed to melt off. So instead I brushed my teeth and worked on my very tangled hair.

After brushing for what seemed like forever, I finally got all the knots out and curled my copper colored hair. I pulled my bangs to the side and put in a black and maroon butterfly barrette to hold them back. After a final look in the mirror, I deemed I looked pretty enough to gain Jacob's attention.

"Nessie!" I heard my mother yell. She knocked quietly on the door and I ran to it, opening it and letting her in. "Oh!" she exclaimed when she saw me.

"What?" I asked anxiously. "Is there something wrong with the dress?"

"No, honey, you look beautiful," my mother smiled kindly, enveloping me in a hug.

"Thanks, Mom," I said into her hair. My mother held me at arm's length, examining me once more. My mom looked beautiful too. She always did.

Her mahogany curls were pulled up into a half-up/half-down hair style. She wore a white blouse tucked into a high-waisted black pencil skirt. Though once practically allergic to fashionable clothes, she had developed a taste for accentuating her beauty through clothes since becoming a vampire. She wore black pumps, making her about 5'8" instead of her usually 5'4". She kissed my cheek softly and turned around.

Walking down the stairs, she called, "Be down in five, okay, Renesmee?"

"Yes, Mom." Another thing about my mom: despite the fact she was actually 25, she still looked 18 or 19. She would never age. She'd forever be her gorgeous , teen self.

I checked myself over once more, adding some Vera Wang's _Princess _perfume to my neck and chest. The next thing I knew I was walking down the stairs about to make a grand entrance.

I turned the corner and walked into the living room. Aunt Rosalie was sitting in Uncle Emmett's lap, both entranced by the newscast on the TV. Aunt Alice was busy chattering away to Uncle Jasper who sat silent, listening intently. My grandparents, Esme-or Nana, as she asked me to call her, and Carlisle-or Pappy as I called him, were talking to my mother and father, Edward. Jacob and his pack were not here yet apparently.

I could smell something in the room that I hadn't smelled in a really long time. I hardly remembered the spicy, exotic scent. I racked my memories for possibilities but none came.

"Ness!" Emmett called from the couch, capturing my attention. "Someone'll turn heads tonight, won't she?"

I laughed. "Thanks, Emmett." I never used Uncle or Aunt in referring to my dad's siblings. It was just too much. Rosalie stood, her beauty radiating off of her, in her off-white silk strapless cocktail dress.

"My Nessie," she cooed, hugging me. "You look wonderful tonight."

"Thanks, Rose!" I beamed.

Alice pushed Rosalie out of the way and beheld me. She scrutinized my outfit and smiled. "You look absolutely stunning!" she prattled. "I knew it was a good idea to let you dress yourself. I've taught her well, huh, Jasper?" she asked, turning to her husband.

"You most certainly did," Jasper said, wrapping his arms around his wife's petite body. "You look very nice tonight, Renesmee."

I blushed and thanked him.

"Renesmee, can you come see?" Nana asked. Besides my mom, Nana and Jasper were the only ones to call me by my full name. Everyone just used pet names for me. "Oh, you look wonderful!" she said and I spun around.

"Nessie, I'm not so sure that dress is appropriate for a girl your age," my father smiled.

"Blame Alice, Daddy," I grinned back.

"Alice, I think we need to have a talk," Edward teased his sister.

"How did I know you were going to say that?" Alice chuckled with her laugh that sounded like bells.

"Mama, where's Jacob?" I asked and again I smelled something new. I could swear I smelled wolf but also that strange spice smell.

"He's on his way. Why don't you come help me in the kitchen with something?" my mother asked, her eyes distant. What could a vampire that doesn't even eat human food possibly need help with in the kitchen?

I followed her into our kitchen and standing there was Seth, Leah and her fiancé David, the Denali coven, and my friend from the Amazons, Zafrina. But still no Jacob.

"Zafrina!" I yelled running to give her a hug. In the months we prepared for our battle against the Volturi, I had become really close to Zafrina. She was the smell I vaguely remembered. The smell of spices and exotic things. She'd promised to come back and visit me sometime, but until now, she hadn't returned.

"Little Ness! Look how big you've gotten!" Zafrina exclaimed, enfolding me into her arms. Zafrina was tall, well over 6 feet and I was only 5'2", which made for an awkward hug.

She was showing me a memory of when I was little, one I'd nearly forgotten. I was sitting in her lap, giggling. It was such a happy memory. After the dangers of the Volturi had passed, we were free to have a little fun before everyone left. She was showing me memories of those last few hours she had spent in Forks.

After a few moments, I released Zafrina from my embrace. I gave Kate, Tanya, Carmen, Eleazer, and Garrett hugs. I punched Seth playfully on the arm and told David and Leah hi, when I heard a knock at the door. My heart sped wildly out of control. Jacob. It had to be.

I ran at an ungodly speed to the door only to find it was only Charlie, my mom's dad, on the other side.

"Hi Nessie!" he said brightly. "Happy birthday!" I gave him a hug and kissed his cheek, thoroughly disappointed. I couldn't wait to see Jacob. Charlie went and joined Carlisle and I decided to sit out on the porch and think for a little while.

I didn't even really understand why I wanted to see Jacob so much. I wanted him to see me as girlfriend material, I knew. The past couple days when we had hung out together, I had wanted so much more from him than we had. I found myself jealous of my aunts and uncles, who had their soul mates in their arms, who had someone love them unconditionally. I was jealous of Leah and David, Emily and Sam, who just had it so together. That was what I wanted. And I didn't want it with just anyone. I wanted that with my Jacob.

As I sat on the porch contemplating, I saw Jacob running towards the house. He had a big goofy smile on his face when he saw me and I noticed he was dressed up more than usual. He wore a polo and khaki pants and he looked absolutely irresistible.

"Jacob," I whispered, running towards him. I threw my arms around his neck and jumped into his arms.

"Nessie," he muttered back as I kissed him. It was my first kiss, but despite that, I knew what I was doing. I just let my body follow what my heart so wanted to do.

Jacob kissed me back, tenderly, and I could feel my heart spin and soar all over the place.

"Happy Birthday," he laughed, panting after we broke apart.

They say you never forget your first kiss. And I don't know about you, but I most certainly never forgot mine.


	2. No Need for Wishes

**Renesmee**

Jacob and I went back into the house. My cheeks, no doubt, blazed scarlet, giving away what had just happened. Jacob's hand found mine and I nestled my head against his muscular arm.

"Score one for Jacob!" Emmett yelled from the couch and Rosalie punched his arm, hard. Uncle Emmett just laughed and my dad looked disapprovingly at him. I blushed more as Jacob and I sat down on one of the leather couches. My mother smiled sweetly at us and Alice grinned with her smile of 100-watts.

"Who wants cake?"I heard Esme call from the kitchen.

"Me!" I giggled. Jacob picked me up and pulled me onto his shoulders, laughing as we walked to the kitchen. Naturally, only Charlie, the wolves, and I would be eating the cake, but we were all going into celebrate.

I sat down at a counter stool, Jacob behind me with his arms around my waist. It felt like the most ordinary thing in the world. It was so easy to be with Jacob like this. For a moment, I had been scared that the transition from best friends to well a _lot _more than that would be hard, but now I knew the truth. Jacob and I were meant for each other. Our souls were intertwined, our hearts one. Nothing would ever separate us, because even when we were apart, we were still a solitary spirit.

"Happy Birthday, Dear Nessie! Happy Birthday to you!" my family sang. Emmett and Seth were standing in the back singing off-key and laughing. Everyone else sang beautifully. I smiled and blew out the six ivory candles on my cake.

"Make a wish," Jacob whispered in my ear.

"But I already have all I could possibly ever wish for," I whispered back. I then proceeded to blow out my candles and wish that nothing would ever change.

_Author's note: Short chapter, yes, I know. I'm still trying to figure out where this story is going to take me. Hopefully, I'll post more soon. :D_


	3. An Impasse

The weeks went by and Jacob and I became more of an item. When we went places, he'd hold my hand and I felt like the luckiest girl on Earth.

"Jacob?" I called. We were sitting on the couch in my room, watching _Titanic, _my favorite movie. I though Leonardo DiCaprio was just the cutest thing there was. Besides Jacob, of course.

"Yeah, Ness?" he responded. He was half asleep. He had been patrolling late last night and the night before. He didn't like to be without me, so he rarely went back to his own house to nap..

"Do you ever think about what will become of us? I mean, like if we'll get married and stuff like that?" I asked him, jittery. I had been thinking about that a lot lately.

"Nessie," Jacob said, staring up at me. His eyes, black as ebony, watched me carefully. "I will marry you. One day. I just, I think we need to be teenagers for a little while, you know?"

"Yeah, I know, Jake. But you've been a teenager for what? Like ten years, already!" I exclaimed.

He laughed. "True. But you haven't. You've hardly been a teenager for six months. I think we need to take things more slowly," Jacob told me. It made me a bit upset.

I leaned over him and kissed him full on his mouth. He kissed me back and I kissed with more force. "Ness," he warned, but we both knew neither of us wanted to stop.

I kept kissing him, his cheeks, his neck. He kissed me back, hands going through my curls. I laughed out of pleasure. He chuckled too.

He pulled away from me then and I just stared. "What?"

"Nessie, I-I don't know what to tell you," Jacob said. He looked nervous. "I want you. I want you right now. But you are still so young. I just can't."

"And why not? This is what we both want. Jacob, just say marry me and I'm yours. Just ask me that, and it will all be okay. It's not that hard, is it?" I asked, feeling rejected.

"Ness, we aren't ready to be married. Honestly, can you say you see yourself walking down the aisle, at only six years old?" Jacob reprimanded.

"You are forgetting that's only my technical age. Six year olds don't look or act or feel like I do right now," I defended.

"But even so, you look like you're fifteen. Fifteen year olds don't get married. And we have forever in front of us."

I didn't know how to respond. "But-but…"

"But nothing, Ness. Can't we just be kids a little longer?" Jacob asked.

"Jacob… you don't understand! I love you. I want you. But I don't want to be a child anymore. Because I'm not. I don't feel like one. I don't look like one. Why must I be treated like one?" I was getting myself all worked up and tears glistened on my flaming cheeks.

"Oh, Ness, I didn't mean to make you upset," he brushed away my tears. "Can we just go a little slower? Maybe in a year or two, we can take things to another level, okay?"

"Okay," I sniffed. I acted like I was giving in, but I was more determined than ever.

We continued to watch the movie and I fell asleep, my head on Jacob's shoulder. He watched me sleep for awhile before falling under too. About two hours later, when the movie was over, my mom and dad walked in to find me enfolded in Jacob's huge arms and my hand on his cheek, both of us dreaming dreams of marrying one another.


	4. The Right Move

**Four months later…**

"But Mom! I like Forks! We don't have to move, do we?" I pleaded. I didn't want to move. Forks was the only home I'd ever know. Moving would mean leaving my home behind, as well as my Grandpa Charlie and some of the wolves. I just couldn't do it.

"Honey, I know. But people will start to suspect something. None of us has aged and that will make them suspicious. I wish there was another way, but unfortunately, there isn't," my mom tried to explain. I didn't want to listen.

"Will Jacob come with us? What about Seth and Leah, Quil and Embry? You're asking them to move too, you know."

"I know. They don't have to come with us. But we _have _to leave. We can't stay here anymore."

"Fine," was all I said. I stomped off to my room. After flopping down on my bed, I cried. I didn't want to leave. We couldn't leave. We just- we couldn't.

I cried myself to sleep and woke up hours later, just as dawn was breaking outside my window. I looked at the clock. 5:53. I had slept for 12 hours.

I padded over to the dining room, still in my clothes from the night before. My parents and Jacob were sitting at the dining table, Jacob sipping coffee.

"Good morning, Ness," my dad said with a smile. "Want something to eat?"

"Yes, please, Daddy," I said. I sat down next to Jacob and rested my head on his shoulder.

Both of my parents got up and went to make me some breakfast in the kitchen. I was glad to have a chance to be with Jacob alone. Things had been a little rocky between us, mostly on my part. I was still aggravated with him for not wanting to take our relationship to a higher level.

"So, are you going to be coming with us?" I asked, fluttering my eyelashes. I hoped I looked flirty.

"Of course, Nessie. I could never leave you," he said bluntly.

"Right. Because of the imprint thing," I said.

"Yes and no, Nessie. Even if I hadn't imprinted on you, I would go."

"Because you would still love my mother."

"Because I would've fallen in love with you," Jacob took my chin in his hand. "Nessie, I love you. Not just because I was forced to by what I am. You are the one for me. Don't ever forget that." Adoration poured from his eyes and I didn't know how to respond.

"I-I won't. I love you, too," I stuttered. He smiled and turned his head to look out the window.

I turned my gaze to where he stared and saw Seth, in his wolf form. He was pacing back and forth trying to get Jacob's attention.

"Go," I nudged Jacob. "Seth wants you."

"Okay," Jacob kissed my forehead before heading out the front door.

My parents walked back into the dining room, Mom holding a cup of coffee and Dad a plate of pancakes.

"Where's Jacob?" Mom asked.

"Umm… he just went to see Seth," I replied and shrugged my shoulders. My dad put the plate in front of me and I ate it, ravenous. "So where are we planning on moving?"

My parents exchanged a glance. "St. Francisville, Louisiana," they replied in unison.

"That far, huh?" I asked, my mouth full of pancake.

"Yeah, honey. We decided we'd go down south for a little while. You know, get a different atmosphere," my mother said softly.

"It will be nice there. It does get sunny a bit more often here but its warmer and there is plenty of space to hunt," my father added.

"Okay, I think I'm okay with it now. I just had to think about it for a little while. Are we going to keep this house?"

"Yes, we'll keep the Forks houses. We'll be back someday," my mother smiled.

"Another thing we wanted to talk to you about Nessie is that you'll be going to school," my dad said proudly.

"Really? That should be an adventure," I commented.

"Yes, it should," my daddy grinned.

Jacob returned a few hours later and he told me he was going to take me out to dinner. It was going to be our first true date and I was scared/excited as hell.

"Edward," Jacob began. I knew what he was going to ask.

"Yes, she can go. But first, I'd like to lay down some ground rules," my dad said. He obviously read Jacob's mind. My dad liked to be courteous and refrain from peeking into people's minds usually. But with Jacob, he intruded every moment of every day. It was probably because of me.

"Yes sir," Jacob cracked a smile.

"Well, first, I want her home by ten, Jacob, is that clear?" Jacob nodded. "And if you do anything to hurt her, I will know and I will find you. Is that clear?"

"Yes sir, I know," Jacob kept grinning.

"Jacob," my dad warned. From Jacob's face and Edward's reaction, I knew Jacob was thinking something he shouldn't be.

"Come on, Jake, let's get out of here before he changes his mind," I said, grabbing his hand and pulling him toward the Rabbit.

After we went to dinner in Port Angeles, we decided to window shop. In front of a jewelry store, Jacob stopped. Pulling my hand, he led me into the store.

"Jake… what are we doing in here?" I asked. I tugged at the Quileute promise bracelet I always wore on my wrist. Was this really it?

"I'd like to get you a bit more permanent reminder. You know, like a promise ring."

"Oh…" I said, slightly disappointed. This wasn't quite an engagement but it was something.

"I picked something out for you earlier," Jacob said as we walked up to the counter. The man behind the counter, upon seeing Jacob, reached under the counter.

"Here you go," the clerk said. He handed Jacob a black velvet box.

"Because I want to show you that I love you," he opened the box. "I'm giving you this. It's not an engagement ring because well, I still think we're not ready for marriage yet. But you need to know that one day I _will_ marry you."

In the box was a thin gold ring. It was simple, but elegant. There was a diamond in the center, and the band met on the top and on the bottom. "Oh, Jacob," I whispered. It was absolutely beautiful. "I love it."

"I love you," Jacob kissed me. "Look on the inside." Engraved inside were those three beautiful words that would never _ever_ get old.

After we made sure it fit my finger, we left the store and headed for home. Even though it wasn't exactly what I had been hoping for, it was better. Jacob had made the perfect move and I knew that we would always be together.

_Author's note: So a lot happened in this chapter! Jacob and Nessie have sealed their fate, but will it last? I'm on a roll and am hoping to get the next chapter posted later tonight. Just gotta finish it first :) Keep reading! _

_Oh and this is sort of what I based Nessie's ring off of, except in gold: **.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product1|10101|10001|-1|21479706|15055|15055.15090.20534**  
_


	5. A Whole New World

**One and a half months later…**

Our move went by really smoothly. There weren't any complications and we arrived in the hot, humid Louisiana town in early February. It was weird because I was expecting it to be chilling be February and all. But no, it was 66 degrees.

So the heat was completely unbearable. But I still had high hopes for this place. I was going to high school! It should be an interesting journey and I was up for the challenge. Jacob, Seth, Leah(with her husband, David), and Embry moved too. Quil stayed behind because he couldn't leave Claire who was only nine.

So on the first day of school, Aunt Alice and Aunt Rose woke me up. I was hoping to get just five more minutes of sleep.

"No, Ness, we need to pretty you up!" Alice squealed.

"Aren't I pretty enough already?" I asked wearily.

"Yes, Nessie, but you have to look presentable for school. We're going to turn you into a real southern belle," Rosalie exclaimed.

"Fine," I muttered flipping back the covers and hopping out of bed.

I looked at the clock. 4:30. Damn vampires.

After about 2 hours of pruning me to look my best and finding the perfect outfit, Alice and Rose were finally finished. I was wearing dark denim wide leg jeans, a flowy deep purple top, and black velvet ballet flats. My hair was down and curled. I did look quite pretty I decided. But it hardly mattered. I already had Jacob, why did I need to dress up for these other kids?

As I ate breakfast, I looked down at the ring on my left ring finger. It felt so _right_ there. So in place. Perfect.

"Good morning, Beautiful. How was your night? Mine was wonderful with you by my side," Jacob serenaded me. I laughed.

"You better not have been by her side last night," my father cautioned Jacob.

"It's just a song, Edward, calm down." Jacob came over and kissed my hair. He looked up at my father.

Edward winced. "Can you try not to think such _repulsive _things about my daughter in front of me?"

"Sorry, _Father_, I can't help myself. I'm a teenage guy. What can I say?" Jacob winked at me.

"Chill out, Dad. It's okay, I promise," I kissed his cheek.

Seth and I were going to be ninth graders today. My mother was playing my older sister and Emmett my older biological brother. Alice and Edward were going to be siblings, as were Rosalie and Jasper. Emmett, Rosalie, and Jasper were starting off as juniors; my mother, Edward, Jacob, and Alice were going to be sophomores. We were all adopted by Carlisle and Esme.

"I'm going to drive Nessie early, if that's okay?" Jacob asked.

"Only if you take me!" Seth grinned.

Jacob groaned.

"Of course you can come, Seth! Everything's more fun with you around," I smiled.

"Fine. But Nessie, when his uber-happy persona starts to bug you, just let me know. I'll be more than happy to drop him on the side of the road," Jacob said, his mouth full of granola bar.

"Seth could never annoy me. And anyways, the school isn't that far."

"Right," Seth was practically jumping up and down. "Let's get going."

My insides were all jittery. I was so excited.

After the ten minute drive to school in Jacob's Rabbit, my excitement was uncontainable. I felt about ready to burst. We hopped out of the car and Jacob's hand found mine.

It was an overcast day, and it was humid as hell. I could feel my hair frizzing but I tried not to think about it. As we walked through the parking lot, we gained a lot of attention. Two giant boys and a half-vampire girl were bound to attract people. I could only imagine their reaction to my parents and aunts and uncles later.

We got to the main office and received our schedules.

"Damn," Jacob said. "We don't have any classes together."

"Yes, we do. We have lunch. That's most important," I told him, my hand on his shoulder. I was showing him calming visions through touch. I had learned that although I couldn't control whole atmospheres like Jasper, I could control one person's emotions by touching them.

"Ness, we have …. Civics and physical science together first and second hours," Seth smiled goofily.

"Great! At least I'll have someone… " I told him, a grin in place. "Come on, Seth, let's go." I pulled his arm.

"Not so fast, my little Nessie," Jacob said, kissing me swiftly before heading down the hall to his class. Seth and I walked down the opposite side of the hall. All the while, Seth chattered along, talking about how excited he was and how this was going to be so much fun even though he'd already been through Freshmen and Sophomore years. I stayed quiet, too giddy to talk.

"And you know, Nessie, maybe I'll even imprint. Do you know how cool that'd be? I always have had a weakness for girls like Scarlett O'Hara… true southern bells, ya know?"

"Seth, I'm pretty sure Scarlett was from Georgia," I laughed.

"Oh, well you get the idea. Who are some famous people from Louisiana? Like beautiful girls?" he asked.

"Uh, Britney Spears?" I giggled.

"Okay, so maybe I'll skip on imprinting on a Louisiana girl. She was never really my type," he teased.

"Oh, really? I totally would've thought you liked girls like Britney," I told him, faking seriousness.

"Nah, I'm more of a Christina Aguilera kinda guy," he laughed.

"Ah, really now. Well, I guess we'll just have to find you a Christina look alike for you now, won't we?" I joked. But Seth was no longer listening.

We had reached our civics classroom and were walking through the door. Seth's eyes were locked on a girl in the front row. Oh my god, he imprinted. I could tell by the look on his face. I didn't remember Jacob imprinting on me but had seen it happen with Leah and David.

The girl in the front row was cute. She had big blue eyes, long wildly curly blonde hair, and a tiny nose. She was wearing a light pink sweater over a simple white polo dress. She looked up at us and smiled. "Hi, you must be Nessie and Seth. Welcome to Mason Academy."

_Author's Note: Seth imprinted! I had to put that in there :) It was a bit predictable but I promise more surprises are coming. Hope you guys are enjoying this! _


	6. New Friends,Crushes, & a Possible Enemy?

New Friends, Crushes, and a possible enemy?

Her name was Marianna Richard (pronounced Ree-shard… weird, right?) and she was quite possibly one of the sweetest girls I'd ever met. I was proud of Seth for imprinting on such a sweetie. Not that he could help it or anything, but he had done a good job.

Seth and I sat on either side of her and she and Seth talked a lot. Well, it was more like Marianna talked and Seth just sat there, all googly-eyed. Which I must admit was really pretty hilarious. I kept biting my lip to keep from laughing at him.

"I'm in drama club and I'm also our freshmen class president," she was telling Seth as he nodded goofily. Silly boy. I looked around the room, scoping everyone out before the bell rang.

"So what's your name?" the boy behind me asked. He was super cute. He had big bright blue eyes and dark brown hair that was sloppy and fell into his eyes.

"Um, it's Renesmee Cullen, but people just call me Nessie," I stuttered. Why was I acting so weird? This boy made me shiver when he spoke. And in a good way. Why?

"Renesmee, that's kinda pretty. It's different and it suits you," he smiled. My breath caught in my throat. What was wrong with me? "I'm Ryan Fray."

"Nice to meet you," I grinned.

"So where are y'all from?" he asked. Y'all? I had a lot to get used to.

"Seth and I are from Forks, Washington. So are my sisters and brothers, and Seth's brother, Jacob," I told him, expecting tons of questions.

"How many siblings do you have?" he asked.

"Well, I have a biological sister and brother, Bella and Emmett. Bella's a sophomore and Emmett a junior. But we were adopted by Carlisle and Esme. They also adopted Edward and Alice, who are both sophomores, Rosalie and Jasper are twins in their Junior year, and then Seth is a freshmen like us and my boyfriend, Jacob is a sophomore. We moved here for Carlisle's job. It's all really complicated," I said, smiling shyly.

"Sounds like it. Did you say your boyfriend, Jacob?" he questioned me curiously.

"Um yeah," I bit my lip.

"Oh, well, darn. I was hoping I might have a chance with you," he said, looking genuinely disappointed.

This shocked me. "Well, I mean, you never know how things work out," I told him, not wanting to give him false hope but not wanting to crush him either. He actually wanted to well… date me?

"Yeah, that's true," Ryan looked up at me. The bell rang before I was able to say anything and I turned to the front.

Our teacher walked in just as the bell chimed. She was an older women, in her late 50s maybe, with sandy colored hair that was in a curly bob. She wore glasses and her clothes could've done with some updating, but she looked like a nice enough teacher.

"You must be our new students!" she said when she saw Seth and I. "Come on, come up and introduce yourselves!"

I groaned inwardly but was thankful I had Seth there to endure this with me. "Hi, I'm Seth Black," Seth introduced himself. Jacob, Leah, and Seth had decided to just pretend to be siblings and go under the last name of Black.

"I'm Nessie Cullen," I beamed and looked over at Ryan, who smiled and gave me a thumbs up. There were some kind faces in the class before me, and some not so kind ones. A girl in the back gave me a death glare. Wow. She was probably the prettiest girl in the class before us vampires showed up. She had long straight blonde hair, a very pretty face, and green eyes. She reminded me of what Aunt Rosalie probably looked like before she changed.

Seth and I sat down and our teacher, Ms. Landry, began a lecture. Seth and I kept shooting glances at each other whenever she said something crazy sounding. It was nice to have a friend. And I knew that Marianna would soon be part of the family so when we were given free time at the end of class I started to talk to her.

"So, Nessie, Seth tells me y'all are from Washington. That's gotta be a big change, huh?" she said. She had that slight Louisiana accent and it really suited her. She was so sweet.

"Yeah, it's been sort of a culture shock. Things here are so different."

"I bet. Louisiana is a great place once you get used to it. There's all sorts of fun stuff to do. You know what would be fun?" she was very enthusiastic about everything. She seemed like the overachiever that everyone loves. I knew we would get along great.

"What?" I asked her.

"If maybe this weekend or the next, we could go to the Myrtles. That would be so much fun!"

"The Myrtles?" I gulped. The most haunted house in America? It was slightly ironic, well really ironic really, that the half-vampire girl that I was was terrified of things like scary movies and haunted houses. Especially considering that I myself lived in a house filled with the undead and werewolves.

"Yeah, it's really cool. It isn't really all that scary there either. Like you think it will be, but it isn't. I practically grew up there," Marianna smiled.

"That would be really cool," I lied. "If we got a big group together, I'm sure we'd all have lots of fun."

"It would! We need to start planning it," she told me, picking up a piece of paper.

"What are you two girls talking about?" Ryan joined in.

"We're thinking about planning a trip to the Myrtles. Wouldn't that be great?" Marianna grinned.

"Yeah, that would be amazing," Ryan winked at me. The butterflies in my stomach fluttered.

"I could get all my siblings to come along too. They love scary stuff," I laughed. It was true.

"Yeah!" Marianna said. The bell rang and it was time for science. "So what do you have next?"

"Seth and I have physical science with…" I looked at my schedule. "Mrs. Leblanc."

"Oh, us too!" Marianna cheered. When she stood, I realized she was really tall. Like 5'10" tall. Ryan was about the same height. We walked down the hall to our science lab, and I was glad I'd made some new friends.

_Author's note: This was an important chapter. The next one is probably going to be a bit of a filler chapter, so I'm apologizing in advanced. Keep reading though! It's about to get pretty crazy. :)_


	7. Sparks

"So today class, we are going to be experimenting with electricity," our science teacher, a tall, overweight woman with giant purple bags under her eyes, was saying. She'd already introduced us to the class. I was sitting next to Ryan, because Seth had insisted he sit next to Marianna.

Mrs. Leblanc passed out these electricity sets and told us to follow the directions. She then proceeded to sit at her computer and play solitaire.

"Is she always like this?" I asked Ryan, as we tried to put together a circuit with a LED light. I confess he did most of the work; he had already done the lab and knew what he was doing.

"Yep, pretty much. We haven't learned very much this year. She just tells us to do it ourselves. It's been an easy class," he said, putting two little connectors together.

"That's always kinda nice."

"Well, science is my favorite subject so it's been annoying, actually. I want to be a doctor when I get older," he explained, now attaching the LED light.

"My grand-, I mean, my adoptive dad, Carlisle, is a doctor. He really loves what he does," I said, helping him by flipping the switch. The LED lit up and I smiled. "That's pretty cool."

Ryan nodded. "Yeah, it is." He stared at me with an intensity I wasn't used to. The only one who ever looked at me like that was…. Jacob. Jacob. I hadn't thought about him once today. Which was seriously weird because I thought about him every other moment, on a normal day. "So what kinda things interest you?"

"Well, I mean, I play piano and I read a ton. So music and books. And I like biology. I always thought that life was so cool, you know? Especially because I'm a-" I cut myself off. Did I really almost blow the secret?

"Especially because you're what?" Ryan implored.

"Because I'm the daughter of a really successful doctor," I improvised quickly. Geez, I nearly blew that one for us. Already. After only a few hours.

"Yeah, biology always interested me a lot too. I mean, just how things work in our bodies and how we exist. But I do like reading too. What do you read?" he questioned, still focused on our electricity kit.

"Um, everything," I chuckled. "I love the Bronte sisters. They have to be my favorite, classic wise. And _Rebecca _by Daphne du Maurier. And I enjoyed David Copperfield by Dickens but don't like any of his other stuff all that much," I told him, rambling on.

"So you like the classics, mostly? I'm the same way. I read Wuthering Heights last summer and just finished Great Expectations. They were both really good. I like modern stuff too," he looked over at me again.

"Oh, I read modern books too, though I do like classics an awful lot. I love the Harry Potter series and science fiction. And the occasional romance/drama here and there," I blushed.

"Harry Potter was great. I like the fantasy type stuff. Just thinking about whole other worlds, I guess, ones that probably don't exist, has always fascinated me. I always thought like vampire books were pretty cool," he said, looking back to work on the next circuit we had to build.

"Vampires, huh," I whispered, low enough that I knew he couldn't hear me. If only he knew… I wondered how he would react. Probably not very well. But I mean, I wasn't going to tell him ever. He didn't need to know.

"Do you like vampires and books on other stuff like that too?"

"Um, I do read the occasional vampire novel. I'm not a huge fan of scary things, though, so I mostly just read the extremely modernized we're-nice-vamps kinda novels."

"Yeah, those are cool," he looked up and smiled, taking away my breath again.

We began to work on our separate essays about the project, which took me no time at all despite the fact that I hadn't paid a speck of attention to the lab. That's where hyper intelligence came in handy. School was a breeze.

A few times, I could feel Ryan staring at me. It didn't make me uncomfortable like it should. It felt… good, actually. We really seemed to get along and I could almost feel an energy between us, like sparks. I didn't know what to think about that.

The bell rang, and I was sad to see him go off to Geometry, when I had Design. Seth was going to gym (which they called PE- as in physical education. Another weird little idiosyncrasy about this place) and Marianna to design with me, which made for a worried Seth. I knew from Jacob that imprinting and letting go of your love was hard at first, so I gave Seth a hug, touching his cheek to show him that I'd make sure Marianna was okay. He smiled in appreciation and Marianna and I headed off to class.

_Author's note: This was a bit of a filler chapter, but an interesting one, nonetheless. Or at least I hope so. Thanks for all the favorites, guys! They mean a lot to me. If you get the chance, review for me! I love to hear what ya think. More is coming... hopefully tonight :D_


	8. Completely Perplexed

The next class was design. I had it with Marianna and as I walked in to the classroom, I realized Aunt Alice.

"Nessie!" she squealed as she ran to give me a hug. Except Alice didn't run. She flew.

"Alice!" I said back, embracing her oh-so-small frame. Marianna didn't quite know what to make of Alice, I could tell. She smiled timidly. The girl that had the answer to everything didn't know how to react to Alice.

"Hi, I'm Alice," my aunt proclaimed, shaking her hand. Alice's pixie features lit up in a smile.

Marianna smiled back, though still a little shy. "I'm Marianna."

"This is me and _Seth's _new friend," I told Alice, raising my eyebrows a bit, at Seth's name. I hoped she got my hint and I was pretty sure she would, considering that nothing much got past Alice.

"Oh, I'm so glad to meet you! What exactly do we do in this class?" Alice piped in. Marianna sat down next to other girls and Alice and I joined her.

"We design and make our own clothes, design rooms, and we also decorate cakes and stuff like that," the one girl chimed in. She had red hair, was freckly, and had kind brown eyes. "By the way, I'm Tiffany."

"I'm Nessie and this is my adopted sister, Alice," I smiled.

"I'm Katie," the other girl said. She was pretty, though a little stand offish. She wore her bleach blond hair back from her face and her tan skin was absolutely flawless.

"Hi," Alice and I whispered, just as the teacher went up to front.

"So I see we have two of our new students here. Let's give them a heartfelt welcome!" the teacher-who was an exact Martha Stewart look-alike (go figure, right?), smiled warmly at us. Alice and I smiled back. Alice's eyes found mine and she gave me this look. What? I mouthed. She just shook her head with this goofy smile on her face. "Today we will be working on our dress designs. Marianna, Katie, and Tiffany, would you girls mind setting up our new comers?"

"Of course not," Tiffany said, smile in place. She stood up and walked to a gray cabinet across the room, retrieved two sketchbooks and many colored pencils, and returned to her seat. She handed each of us one.

Alice, alight with an idea, began to sketch away in her notebook the moment our teacher, Mrs. Smith, said go. I took a bit longer. It took me a while to decide. Once I finally got an idea in my head, I got to work.

The whole while, though, all I could think about was Jacob and Ryan. The promises I'd made to Jacob, the love he had for me, and then the spirit of Ryan, how he seemed to like me, those sparks between us. I kept noticing Jacob's promise ring. It felt like a weight upon my finger, though I knew it shouldn't. After all, I was the one who'd pressured him into giving it to me. I wanted more than Jacob had been giving me though. I couldn't say I wasn't aggravated with him still for our few disputes on taking things further, because I most definitely was. Maybe what I needed was a break from Jake, as terrible as it sounded. I was sick of not having a choice about things. Maybe, for just a little while, Jake and I could do our own thing, live without each other. Then, when we were both ready, we could get back together and take things further.

I was roused from my thoughts by Marianna. "That's a really good sketch, Nessie."

"Thanks," I mustered. I had hardly been thinking about what I was drawing. It was a red-orange ball gown that tied around the waist. Below the waist, it flowed out into more orange and some sheer black folds, all sort of tumultuously thrown together. It did look really good so far, I had to admit. "So, Marianna, I have a question."

She looked up from her own drawing again. She was wearing glasses to see. "Yeah?"

"I was wondering what you think about Seth. I think he likes you."

"Me? Really? He's so cute. And terribly sweet. I did really enjoy talking to him. He's so optimistic about everything!" she beamed. She liked him. A lot. I could just tell by the look on her face.

"That's Seth. Our little optimistic puppy!" I squeaked.

"Puppy?" Katy stared at me curiously.

"It's an inside joke from when we were really little," Alice said, covering for me.

"So you really like Seth?" I inquired.

"Yeah, I think so. Except, he seems a little pushy, sometimes, you know? Don't tell him I said that. But really, he's such a nice guy. I'm sure we could end up being something…more," Marianna sighed dreamily.

"Would you care if I told him you liked him? I'm sure it would mean a lot to him," I questioned her further.

"Yeah, you can totally tell him. I mean, if you want to," Marianna giggled.

"I will then. I'll let you know what he says tomorrow," I finished up my sketch and decided I was really proud of it. It hadn't taken me long to do at all and it had come out really well.

"Alice," I looked over at her picture. "That came out amazingly."

"You think so?" she smiled. Her picture was much more elaborate than mine. It was all sorts of shades of purple, the bodice tight and ruffly. It was one shouldered with a puffy, ruffle skirt. Her model wore magenta feathers in her hair.

"I know so," I grinned.

The rest of the day passed without consequence. Lunch with Jacob was blissful, though I kept having this thought in the back of my head that maybe, maybe things could be different.

_Author's note: Okay, so I have no idea what to name this chapter. If you guys want to send me suggestions, you are perfectly welcome to :) Thanks!_

Nessie's sketch: /_sketch_orange_ballgown_

Alice's sketch: /_sketch_suewongwinter06_purplegown_


	9. Uncomprehending

When I got into Jacob's car at the end of the day, it was unusually quiet. Seth had gone home with Emmett, Rosalie, Alice, and Jasper, much to Rose's dismay.

"So how was your day?" Jacob asked me.

"It was really pretty good," I told him. It was a half-truth. Yes, today had been amazing. I'd met so many new people and made some new friends. But it had also left me in turmoil. I felt split in two, between the life I led and the life I didn't. The life I led included Jacob and being a wolf girl. But the life I didn't, that I had sort of begun to want, didn't include Jacob. Instead, it was Ryan Fray. He was so easy to be around. Which it wasn't like Jacob was hard to be around, for he most certainly wasn't. But I wanted something new, something different. I was tired of not being a normal teenager. I wanted to be free to like who I wanted, not have it be predetermined the moment of my birth and some mystical crap.

"Hmm, that's good," was all Jacob said.

"What about your day? Was it a good first day?" I asked.

"Eh, it wasn't terrible," he muttered.

"Why? what happened?" I was worried about him. He didn't sound like himself.

"Well, nothing really happened. Seth imprinted. I'm happy for him. It's the best feeling in the world," when Jacob said this, I squirmed in my seat. How could I want something different when I loved Jacob and all he wanted was me?"But most of the guys in my classes were jerks. I had to refrain from phasing several times."

"Oh, Jake, I'm sorry bout that."

"It's cool. It's just a lot harder than you realize," he said, eyes never leaving the road.

"Yeah, I almost blew the secret twice today. It was really difficult. I've never been around anyone who didn't know before, you know? So I was talking to my new friend, Ryan, and I nearly let it slip out."

"Ryan?" Jake's eyebrow lifted up and for the first time since we got in the car, he looked over at me. I could swear I saw a hint of jealousy in those black eyes of his.

"Mhmm, Ryan Fray. He sits by me in civics and science. He's a great guy. You guys would get along great," I told him, trying my hardest not to betray any particular emotions in my voice that would give me away.

"Hmm, I'll have to meet him sometime," Jake said, as we pulled into the driveway.

"Yeah, I think Marianna-you know, Seth's girl- was gonna plan a day where we could all go to the Myrtles together."

"Isn't the Myrtles the scariest haunted house in America?" Jake asked me, incredulous.

"Yes."

"But you're scared of everything," he laughed and I was glad to see him smile.

"I know. But you'll be there…" and Ryan, I refrained from saying.

Jake and I got out of the car and walked up the path to the front door. The whole time one question ran through my mind: **How could I possibly love Jake so much and still start to feel like this toward Ryan?** The answer was beyond me and I decided I'd have to ask my mother, since I knew she'd dealt with something similar not so long ago.


	10. Plans

The days went by quickly, turning into weeks, and yet, I still hadn't asked my mother about anything. I worked hard to keep my thoughts secret from my dad and I tried to act normal, even though there was a war waging inside my heart and my head.

I still felt myself growing closer to Ryan. I was falling for him, despite my better judgment. How could I do this to Jacob? How could I do this to Ryan? I was damaging them both and there was nothing I could do to stop it. It was a landslide and I was tumbling down the hill fast.

I was lying on my bed, trying to sort out my thoughts. Half of me argued, Jacob has always been there, he won't ever leave. _The other half: only because he imprinted. _Exactly, because he imprinted on you, he'll never love anyone else. _But what if I want to love someone else?! _

Back and forth, my mind went. My phone rang and I was glad for the distraction.

"Hello?"

"Hi Nessie!" It was Marianna.

"Hey, what's up?"

"Well… you know how we were planning that trip to the Myrtles? Why don't we go this Saturday?" Marianna asked. Nearly three weeks had gone by since we'd lived her and Marianna and I had become inseparable.

"Yeah! That'd be great. I'll have to ask Esme and Carlisle, and see who else wants to go but I'm sure it'll be fine," I told her.

"Great! Oh I hope it works out. Why don't we plan to meet up at the gas station across the street at 10?"

"10 at night?"

"No, silly," I could hear her smile over the phone. "10 AM. Then we could have a whole day there."

A whole day with ghosts. Great. " Sure sure. I'll ask Esme and then I'll call you back, how about?" I suggested.

"Yeah, that works. I hope y'all can go!" Marianna cheered.

"Me too," I said and hung up the phone. I ran down the hall and stairs, pushing my vampire speed.

On the way down the stairs, I ran smack-dab into Emmett. "Ouch…" I murmured falling back.

Emmett just laughed. "Be careful next time, little Bella," he cracked up and set me upright. I smiled and ran to find my mom and dad.

They were sitting in their bedroom downstairs, reading. "Hi, Renessmee, how are you?" my mom asked me, not even looking up from her book.

"I'm good. Um, Marianna is wondering if a bunch of us want to go to the Myrtles this weekend. Like me, Seth, Jacob, and whoever else wants to go," my words come out in a rush.

"I'm fine with that. Edward, what say you?" my mother looked up at me, smiling sweetly.

"Sure, I guess that's okay. Were your mother and I invited?" my father stared up at me.

"Sort of…" I admitted. The truth was I didn't want them to go. I didn't need parental supervision.

"Nessie, you do need supervision," Edward said. Damn mind-reading fathers. "Renesmee…" he warned. I quickly quieted my thoughts. "But I suppose we can let you go. As long as either Alice or Emmett go too, I guess it can be alright."

"Thank you, thank you, thank you, Daddy!" I rushed up to him and wrapped him in a hug. After kissing his hair, I ran away and heard him and my mother exchange a laugh.

"Aunt Alice!" I called as I roamed around the house in search of her. Jasper came out of their bedroom. "Jasper! Have you seen Alice?"

"Yes, Renesmee. She's in her closet looking for something to wear to the Myrtles," he smiled and patted me on the back. I laughed and went to find Alice.

"Nessie," I could hear her call. I followed her voice and found her in the deep depths of her enormous closet.

"So you wanna come?" I giggled when I found her. She was admiring each piece of clothing she owned.

"Of course! I'll take Emmett with me, because Rose won't be any fun and Jasper might get thirsty. Which should I wear?" she held up two shirts. Both Juicy Couture, one was a bright orange babydoll with gold flowers, the other a white blouse with smocking at the waist and sleeves.

"Umm, the white one.," I pointed.

"Thanks, dear!" Alice winked. I decided to go find Seth and Jake and tell them about the plans for Saturday.

I found them in the garage, working on Jacob's Rabbit. Leah was there with David too. Leah was smiling in a way I had never seen her. "Hi Leah, hey David."

Leah grinned, "Nessie, I'm pregnant!"

"No way!" I squealed.

"Yes, apparently I'm not a biological dead end!" Leah looked so happy. I was so excited for her. I hugged her and David. David was a very quiet man. He had sandy brown hair and plain brown eyes. He wasn't particularly good-looking, but he wasn't bad either. Leah was crazy about him.

"How far along are you?" I asked.

"About 15 weeks. We didn't want to tell anyone too early, you know?" she smiled. I could tell she was starting to show a little now that I knew. "I think we better get going, huh, David. We'll see you around, Ness!"

"Bye, Lee!" I called as she and David walked to their car.

"So, Seth and Jacob, are you up for a little ghost hunting on Saturday?" I asked in a deep voice, widening my eyes and trying to look haunted.

"Nessie, you don't scare me. Don't hurt yourself trying," Jake grinned. I playfully punched his arm.

"I sure am! Marianna's planning, right?" Seth was all grins.

"Yes she sure is. And I think she's really starting to like you, Seth. Like _really _like you. You know, maybe you can kiss her at the Myrtles! And you can ask her out," I suggested.

"Yeah! Ness, I think I'm gonna do that. Just don't tell her. I wanna surprise her," Seth said, off in his own world.

"Okay, that's cool. I still have some homework to do, so I'm gonna go work on it. I'll see you guys later?"

"Yep, at dinner," Jacob said, absorbed in repairing his car.

I laughed. "Alright, see you then." I kissed Jacob swiftly before running off to the house.

_Author's note: This was another filler chapter. But it's leading up to some big events, I promise. Please review! Let me know whatcha think and if there is anything I can work on :)_


	11. Decisions, Decisions

_I was sitting in the movies and holding my hand was a boy but his face was turned and I couldn't tell who it was. Finally, I got him to turn towards me and I was happy to see it was Ryan. I leaned in and pecked him on the lips, and was completely shocked with myself. But kissing Ryan felt so good. So I kissed him again, longer this time only to be thrown off by the fact that he had changed into Jacob. And then, he was back to Ryan. And then he was Jacob again. And I didn't know what to do, and I wanted them both soooo badly. Jacob-Ryan-Jacob-Ryan, the faces went back and forth. I didn't know what to do. I couldn't think. I just wanted them both, all of them, no consequences. _

Then, I woke up . To my mother standing above my bed. I nearly screamed because I wasn't expecting her to be there, staring down at me.

"Mom! You nearly gave me a heart attack!" I gasped.

She laughed, "Sorry, sweety. I just… I had this feeling that you needed to talk to me."

"Dad read my dreams, didn't he?" I asked.

"Maybe, but don't get mad at him. I asked him to. Honey, I'm worried about you. You seem like you've been keeping something from me," my mom pouted a bit.

"No, I'm not-How could I- hide anything from you? I mean, really-" I stuttered, giving myself away.

"Nessie…" my mother whispered, a knowing look in her eyes.

"Fine, Mom. I don't know what to do! I mean, I love Jacob, but I really like Ryan, and I've never been given any choice, you know? I mean, for crying out loud, I was barely an hour old when Jacob imprinted on me! I've never known anything different and maybe I want to, you know, be normal for once in my life. I want to be able to crush on the cute boy that sits next to me in class, I want to be able to _date _said cute boy! But I can't because of something I never had a choice in. And ugh, Mom! I just- I feel so much right now. And it's so confusing. I do love Jacob. Really. But, oh, Mom," After speed-saying everything I was feeling, I began to cry. I fell into my mother's arms and cried, something I hadn't done in years.

"Oh Renesmee," my mother smoothed my curls back from my face. "I wish I knew what to tell you. I know it's hard. And I can actually say I sort of understand, not knowing what to do between two loves. But see, it's your decision to make. The decision I made ended up being perfect. I have your father, an amazing family, a best friend that will always take care of my daughter, and my beautiful Renesmee. I have no regrets. Other than that I wish I could've spared Jacob some pain, but it is all behind us and forgotten now. So, Ness, you do need to make your choice and think about it. But you don't have to decide to today or tomorrow. Just understand that it isn't just your heart at stake. It's Jacob's and the other boy's hearts as well," Bella whispered in my ear. It was nice to have her help me. But couldn't she just decide? Couldn't she just say, no, Renesmee, you have to be with Jacob? But isn't that what I was fighting for? I wanted to make my own decisions, didn't I? Then how come in the face of that, of the decisions I so badly wanted to chose for myself, I was terrified and wanted my mother to make the decisions for me?

I went to school with Jacob that morning and sulked a bit in the car. He didn't ask me what was the matter. He knew better than to do that. I went through civics in a sort of trance, hardly paying attention at all to Ms. Landry as she taught.

By the time science rolled around, I was distraught in my own thoughts. I sat next to Ryan, like normal, and Mrs. Leblanc put on a video about motion.

A Bill Nye the science guy movie. How… immature. My classmates seemed to be excited. The blond girl I'd noticed my first day-the one who'd given me a death stare- was cheering up in her front row seat. I rolled my eyes.

"So you don't like Bill Nye?" Ryan chuckled, watching my reactions.

"I did when I was like three," I told him. Which was actually true, considering when I was three I had about the maturity of a 8 or 9 year old.

"Yeah, it was cute when I watched it when I was younger. Now it's just positively annoying," he smiled and my heart fluttered in my chest.

"I know. Are you gonna be going to the Myrtles this weekend?" I asked.

"Wouldn't miss it for the world," his blue eyes were dancing. God, why couldn't I just _have _him, no worries?

"Glad to hear that," I said, returning his smile. We continued to watch the movie and I could swear that he kept inching closer. Not by significant amounts, but just enough to where I noticed. His arm brushed mine and chills went up my back. I looked over at him, my face slowly turning scarlet. Of all the things I had to inherit from my mother, I got the blush gene.

He looked at me, analyzing my face and then leaned in, as if to kiss me. My insides were like a tumultuous ocean, the waves crashing against each other, lightning hit the surface. I leaned in too, not sure what else to do. I thought for sure our lips would meet (and how weird would that be for us to have our first kiss in science class?) when the bell rang.

When the blasted bell rang loudly and clearly, signaling class's end and Ryan and I's almost kiss's too soon demise.

_Author's note: this was a bit of a random chapter, but I wanted to develop Ryan and Nessie's relationship a bit more before the haunted house. And I had to add in Renesmee's conscience and her talk with her mom. Hope you enjoyed it. More to come soon :)_


	12. Ready or Not

The next morning, I was all in a rush. What to wear, what to WEAR?! I finally decided upon a simple light blue tunic shirt and black leggings.

"Knock, knock!" Alice chimed on the other side of my door.

"Come in!" I called. Alice ran in and hopped up on my bed, grinning from ear to ear her perfect white teeth glimmering. Despite Aunt Rosalie's protection and care in my first few months of life, I'd grown much closer to Aunt Alice in more recent years. She was so much easier to be around and didn't treat me like a baby all the time, but more like an equal, a best friend.

"Are you excited?" she asked, teetering on the edge of my light green duvet that covered my bed.

"A bit."

"You seem scared," Alice surmised as she critically examined my face.

"I am. Just a little," I whispered.

"Ah, don't worry. You'll have two vamps and two wolves looking out for you. No ghosties can beat that," she laughed.

I joined in her laughter, forcing it to sound normal and not so nervous. "I guess that's true. Actually, I'm more worried about how Emmett will try to freak us out."

"I'll keep an eye on him for ya," she smiled. "Don't want him scaring innocent little humans!"

"No indeed, Alice. Oh, I'm sure it will be fine."

"Are you ready?" she questioned me, scrutinizing my outfit.

"Yeah, I think so," I grinned.

"Well, let's get downstairs. Don't want the boys waiting too long for us."

We headed down the stairs and met up with the boys in the kitchen. Jacob pecked me on the cheek and sensed my anxiety.

"Oh, Ness, don't' worry. I'll keep you safe from the ghosts," he and Emmett laughed. Little did he realize I wasn't even worried about the ghosts anymore, if I ever had been at all. I was still thinking about what I was going to do about Jacob and Ryan. We'd all be there together and I didn't want to hurt either of them.

"Oh sure you will," I stuck my tongue out at him. "Al, which car are we taking?"

"The Jeep. Emmett wants to drive," she told me.

"Hell yeah, I wanna drive!" Emmett said, bouncing up and down with excitement. "Let's get outta here." He ran out the door, with Seth and Jacob right behind him. I went to catch up but heard my father's voice behind me.

"Wait up, Ness. Were you planning on leaving without telling us good-bye?" I spun around and saw my parents, standing lovingly together underneath the stairs.

"Of course not, Daddy," I giggled and told both him and my mother good-bye. Then, I ran out the door and into the car, ready to take on whatever challenges the Myrtles had in store for me.


	13. Encounters

We got to the gas station and Marianna was waiting there with Ryan and a woman who was unmistakably her mother. The woman had her curly blonde hair pulled into a low pony and was tall and willowy just like her daughter.

I stepped out of the jeep and Marianna ran towards me. "Nessie! This is going to be so fun! My mom wanted to meet your siblings and everything before we left. Mom, this is Nessie. Nessie this is my mom, Jenny Richard."

Mrs. Jenny smiled and shook my hand. "Nice to meet you, Nessie. We've heard so much about you."

"Nice to meet you too," I smiled and gave Ryan a hug. Marianna introduced Seth, Jacob, Emmett, and Alice and we were off. Emmett was in the driver's seat, Alice in the passenger. Seth and Jacob grabbed the middle, leaving Marianna, Ryan, and I to squeeze in the back.

And when I say squeeze, I mean really squeezed. I was crushed to the right window, Ryan on my left. Marianna looked highly uncomfortable on Ryan's left.

It wasn't a far drive and we were there before we knew it. I hopped out of the car and Emmett picked me up and flung me over his shoulder. "Emmett!" I squealed. "Put me down!"

"Nah," he laughed. After finally setting me up right, we walked up to the old house. I stayed close to Jacob because I kept getting the feeling someone-or some_thing_- was watching me. We paid our money and walked in the gates. The house was beautiful, of course, but there was just an eerie feeling about it. Shivers went up my back and I told myself I was just paranoid, that there was nothing there. Nothing there.

As we walked up the porch steps, I looked over at the grounds and saw two little girls playing tag, it looked like. They were far away and it was hard to tell but they looked like they were wearing old fashioned clothing. I smiled at them as we walked inside and the elder of the two waved.

When we stepped inside the house, it was freezing. Our tour guide, a middle-aged woman named Lisa, gave us a background on the house.

"It was built in 1796 on sacred Native American burial ground, by General David Bradford. The tragic story begins with his daughter, Sara Mathilde and her husband, Judge Clarke Woodruffe. They owned around five hundred slaves, and one of them was a teenage girl named Chloe. She was very curious and liked to eavesdrop on the family," the tourguide began to explain. I squeezed Jake's hand and looked over at Ryan, who laughed at my queasy expression. "Well, one day, Judge Woodruff found her eavesdropping on him and his wife's conversation. In order to teach her a lesson, he cut off part of her ear. Chloe kept her missing ear covered up with a green scarf she wrapped around her head. Chloe earned some favor back with the family, but still sought revenge. Her chance for vengeance came when she was asked to make a cake for the eldest daughter of the Woodruffe's birthday. She made a beautiful cake for the girl but added in a poison made of oleander leaves. The poison was fatal in that large an amount." I shuddered. The tourguide seemed to enjoy the rise her audience got out of this and continued, "Mrs. Woodruffe and her two daughters died from the cake. When the other slaves found out about Chloe's treacherous murders, they hanged her from a tree, out of fear for their own lives. The ghosts of the daughters and of Chloe haunt the grounds. Chloe can be seen wearing her green turban over her ear and the girls are pretty young, the eldest around nine. She's definitely the friendlier one though they are both often seen playing out front." When she said this, my face paled.

Had I actually seen the little girls' ghosts? Did the older one _wave _to me? Between this and my wanting to be with Ryan and not hurt Jacob, it was just too much.

"Ness, are you okay?" Jacob asked me worriedly.

"I'm fine," I croaked and Alice looked at me concerned.

"You saw them, didn't you?" the tour guide inferred. I nodded.

"Yes, they are always around here and plenty of people see them. They disappear if you get too close, but they seem to have no problem waving or smiling at our guests," she smiled mysteriously. "Let us carry on with the tour, then?" We walked from the parlor into a hall with steps leading upstairs. "Years after the tragedy of the Woodruffes' during the civil war, the house was sold. Some say several Confederate soldiers actually died in the upstairs' rooms and these are other ghosts frequently seen. The plantation was yet again sold after the war. The next grand legend, however, is that of William Winter and his wife, Sarah Matilda, whose name is just like that of General Bradford's daughter except in spelling. Historians and those who work here find this to be quite the uncanny coincidence." I saw Alice grin. Despite her girly personality, things like ghosts and spirits really fascinated Alice. She was so excited to be experiencing this first hand. I think she also wanted to try her hand at like seeing if the spirits would speak to her. She was a psychic, after all.

We headed up the stairs and our tour guide carried on the story. "One night, William Winter was called out side by an unknown horseman, and upon going outside to answer the caller, he was shot multiple times. He came inside and walked up these exact steps. He made it to the seventeenth, where you two," she pointed to Jacob and I. "when he died in his wife's arms." The moment she said that I felt cold hands squeeze my sides and I screamed "SOMEONE'S GOT ME!" My shrieks filled the small stairway and the tour guide looked disapprovingly at me. I could hear a deep snicker behind me and turned around to see my uncle Emmett, laughing his head off.

"_Emmett_," I muttered under my breath, my heart still racing abnormally fast. "I'll get you for that."

"You don't scare me," he laughed and I scowled.

"Now if we may continue, ladies and gentlemen," she stared at me. "Without further interruption." The tourguide continued to trail down the hall and we followed though I didn't want to hear anymore. I was terrified out of my mind and just wanted to run away. Why had I agreed to come?

The tourguide gave us leave to tour wherever and however we wanted not long after. Marianna walked fearless down the halls, wanting to show us her favorite bedroom. Seth followed after her like the puppy dog he was and Alice and Emmett went another way. It was just me, Ryan, and Jacob left standing in the hall. Talk about awkward.

"Renesmee," Ryan said, gently patting my arm. "Do you want to come see this really cool mirror? I think it's downstairs but if you take a picture, you can sometimes see a bloody hand when it gets developed." The invitation was clearly meant for me alone.

"Sure sure. Jake, you wanna come?" I looked up at Jake, who was still holding my hand. He looked torn, like he didn't want to leave me especially after my little episode and like he wanted to be able to trust me alone with Ryan. The truth was, I didn't know if I wanted him to come or not. No, probably not.

"No, I'm gonna go catch up with Marianna and Seth," my heart leaped. "I'll see you later, Nessie." He kissed me, longer than normal and seemed to turn our faces so that our kiss was right in Ryan's face. Ryan remained impassive.

"Bye, Jake!" I called after him and then I turned to go down the hall with Ryan.

"So, Nessie, the real reason I asked you to come with me was because I feel like I need to talk to you," Ryan told me as we headed down the stairs. "I need to talk to you by yourself."

I nodded, "Ryan, I've kind of been needing to talk to you too. You know, alone."

He smiled that alluring smile and my heart raced, this time not because of the ghosts. "You see, Ness-God, this is going to sound cheesy…"

"Go ahead," I urged him on, wanting to hear what he had to say, though I was almost certain I already knew.

"Well, I've really-_really_ started to like you. And I mean, I know you have a boyfriend that really loves you. But, I can't help but want you. You're beautiful," he tucked a loose curl behind my ear, "And you're smart and kind and just amazing. And- I feel bad for mentioning this- but when you're with Jacob, you don't seem happy. You seem like there is somewhere else you'd rather be, someone else you'd rather be with. Is-am I right?"

"I don't know, Ryan. I just don't. The thing that complicates everything is that as much as I love Jacob, I've started to well, love you too," I admitted.

"I knew it," he murmured, his face dangerously close to mine. "Nessie, why don't you just be with me, then? If you don't want to be with Jacob anymore-"

"I never said I didn't want to be with Jacob anymore," I stated. "I just said I want to be with you too. But it's more complicated than me just 'breaking up' with him."

"Why is that? Is it because of your family?" Ryan asked me. He wasn't demanding anything, simply asking out of curiosity. It made me love him even more. Stop, I warned myself.

"No, no, of course not. It's just… Jacob and I have been friends since I was born, you know? And we have a special bond, per se. It's hard to explain," I told him, feeling my chest twist into knots.

"Couldn't you and Jacob just stay friends and you can date someone else?" Then, Ryan paused and reflected on what he told me. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't be asking you to do something like that. I'm being awful, aren't I?"

"No , you aren't being awful. You're incapable of being awful. You're just saying what you feel," I shook my head and then, without thinking, without hesitating, I told him what I had been wanting, what I had been feeling. Two little words that meant so much.

"Kiss me."

_Author's Note: So, I finally updated. :) Hope you enjoyed this chapter. More to come. Soon. I hope. I'd just like to mention a little something about the Myrtles Plantation. I have never been there though I've wanted to ever since I can remember. Ghosts and stuff really just intrigue me. The stories I mentioned here about Chloe and the other ghosts have many different versions and according to Wikipedia none of them, besides William Winter's story, are accurate. However, I have a book ( _**America's Most Haunted: True Scary Places by Allan Zullo)**_ that claims the stories to be true. So that's what I used as my source for all the stories and the versions I have of the stories in this fanfic are all from the book. So once again, I hope you liked this chapter! Keep reading and reviewing. ~Skye_


	14. Revelations

**MARIANNA**

As we walked down the hall, Seth grabbed my hand. I smiled at him. His hand was scorching hot but I was sure he was just as nervous as I was. I had been planning that today I'd finally get the chance to kiss him. It would be my first kiss and more than anything I wanted it to be with Seth.

We sat down on a bed and looked about the room. "So, Marianna, there's something I've been meaning to tell you, but I don't want you to get too freaked out or anything," Seth looked anxious. I grinned at him to reassure him.

"Ok, but before you tell me, I think we should do something," I led his hand to my waist and I put my hand on his shoulder. Then I leaned in and kissed him. I could feel he was surprised but in a good way.

I pulled away and smiled. His mouth was smiling in that goofy way I just loved. "Okay, shoot."

He laughed, running his fingers through his short hair. "Okay, well, I'm sort of not what you think." I nodded. "I'm a werewolf. Well, a shapeshifter that can turn into a wolf. But werewolf is just easier to say."

"For serious?" I blurted out. I was shocked but I had always known Seth was different.

He laughed. "Yes, for serious. And, well, as a werewolf, we do this thing, it's called imprinting."

"Imprinting? Like love at first sight, right?" I asked him. I had heard about it before in a book I'd read. It had fascinated me.

"Yeah, actually, just like love at first sight. You see, Jacob imprinted on Nessie and my sister, Leah, imprinted on her husband, David. It means that you can only ever love the person you imprint on, that person is meant for you and you for her… or him in Leah's case. When you imprint, you will do absolutely anything for the person you imprint on," he smiled anxiously.

"And you've imprinted…" I whispered, realizing what he was talking about. "on me."

"Kind of, yes," Seth chuckled.

"Well, then wolfboy, I am absolutely ecstatic to be your wolfgirl," I giggled, flinging myself into his strong arms.

_Author's Note: I know this a short chapter, but I needed to add in more about Marianna and Seth's relationship. So, in case you were confused, this is from Marianna's point of view. More to come, hopefully either later today or tomorrow!_


	15. Everything Happens For A Reason

_Renesmee_

He kissed me with a force I wasn't used to. He pushed me to the wall and our mouths collided, lips to lips, tongue to tongue. My hands raked through his shaggy dark hair, his hands on my waist. It was more passionate than it had ever been with Jacob and I was all for it.

That is, I was all for it until I heard a voice whisper my name behind Ryan's back. A voice that I had known my whole life, a voice that rang in all of my memories. The voice was different now, huskier as if from sorrow. My heart panged with guilt and pleasure and sorrow and defiance. Why had I let myself fall so deep?

I opened my eyes and pulled away from Ryan's kiss and embrace. Jacob was standing there, looking at me with such a hurt look it nearly killed me. I could see his heart breaking and mine tore apart. Ryan looked embarrassed and distraught, his cheeks still rosy from our passionate kiss.

"Nessie," Jacob murmured, looking for some sort of explanation. I could tell from his eyes that he wanted me to say something along the lines of Ryan forced me to kiss him, that I didn't enjoy it at all, that I still wanted him like I had only a few weeks ago before I met Ryan.

But I couldn't lie. Not to him.

"I'm sorry," was all I could say, Ryan's hand still on my shoulder. "It's my-" fault, I meant to say, but Ryan cut me off.

"It's my fault, Jacob. Don't blame, Nessie. I just… let things get out of hand," Ryan told him, lying. It was I who had initiated the kiss. I could've told Ryan no, that I loved Jacob, that I couldn't be with him and wasn't one bit sorry about it. But I didn't. And now, Jacob needed to know the truth.

Jake looked at me, as if he expected him to confirm what Ryan had told him. "No. I gave him the go ahead. It's my fault." Both the boys I cared so much about stared at me. Neither of them had expected the words that came out of my mouth.

"Whatever, Ness," Jacob muttered, giving me one last broken look before turning and heading for the front door of the old rickety house. I wish I could tell you that I ran after him, told him that I was sorry for what I had done, and that nothing like that would ever _ever _happen again. But I didn't. I stayed behind with Ryan, who held my hand and led me to the grounds in the back of the house.

We sat down on a swing and I started to sob. The tears kept coming and wouldn't stop. How could I do this to Jacob? Again? He'd already been broken by my mother and here he thought his little Renesmee could never do that to him. But I guess that's what us Swan girls were good at. Breaking Hearts and running off to someone new, more exciting. My grandmother Renee had done that to my grandpa Charlie, Bella to Jacob for my daddy Edward, and now, I had done it to Jacob in order to be with Ryan. How could I?

"I hate myself. Why must everything be so complicated? Why, why, why, why?" I wept, Ryan put his arm around me.

"Everything happens for a reason. You don't know the reason at the time, but it's there and you'll find out in time. Maybe it's that you and Jacob really aren't meant to be together, that you're supposed to be with me instead. Or maybe you aren't meant to be with either of us. Or it'll just make your relationship stronger," Ryan told me, trying to soothe me. I could not be soothed. He just didn't understand. "That's what my dad always told me. You just have to wait it out and see."

"I know, I know. But right now, I don't know what to do. It's just- it feels so right being with you, like this. But with Jacob, it's the same way. What do I do?" I was still crying, a steady stream of tears falling down my cheeks and onto Ryan's arm. He didn't seem to mind.

A woman dressed quite fancily walked over to us. She was wearing old fashioned clothes but I figured she just worked there as an actress of sorts, adding to the feel of Antebellum south at the plantation.

"Is something wrong?" she asked, her beautiful face looking saddened by my sorrow. She had light brown wavy hair and pretty cat-shaped gray eyes.

"um, I'm fine," I wiped my tears on my sleeve.

"What happened?" she questioned further and I raised my eyebrows.

"Well, it's a long story and I wouldn't want to bother you with it, you know," I told her. Ryan squeezed my arm, which reminded me of how Jacob always used to do that with me.

"I understand," she smiled, her gray eyes sparkling. "You'll get through it, I promise. Everything happens for a reason. Believe me. " She touched my shoulder briefly before turning and walking away.

I watched her walk away. She was so graceful and so at ease at the plantation, which was funny, because even our tour guide had seemed a little afraid of being there. She was a few yards away when she disappeared into thin air.

Ryan looked absolutely awestruck. My mouth hung open. Had that beautiful woman been a ghost? Wow, today was full of more surprises than I ever could've imagined.

Ryan and I never talked about the woman after our little meeting with her. But I always remembered.

"Maybe we should go find the others? We should be getting ready to go," I told Ryan and he nodded.

We headed over to the house and they were all jittery after seeing the house and hearing all the stories. None of them seemed to have any inkling of what had happened between Jacob, Ryan, and I, or at least, Marianna and Seth didn't. I could tell Alice and Emmet knew something but they didn't let on.

"Where'd Jacob go?" Marianna asked me, as she hung onto Seth's arm. He was beaming at her.

"He didn't feel well," I lied. "He said he'd head home and we'd see them later."

"Oh okay, he did seem kinda tense earlier," she mused.

"Yeah," I mumbled as we got into the car.

We dropped Ryan and Marianna at their homes and we headed home ourselves. I knew that once we got there, I'd have quite a bit of explaining to do and I was far from looking forward to it.

_Author's note: So right now, I feel terribly bad about doing this to Jacob. But I had to. Things will get better, because as Ryan and the mysterious lady said, Everything happens for a reason. So, let me know what you think about this chapter! Plenty more to come :)_


	16. Broken, Yet Again

JACOB

I didn't understand why this had to happen again. Was there something wrong with me? Something that pushed the girls I loved away? Now, it wasn't even like I had a second chance. At least with Bella, I could've loved again.

But with Nessie, she is the only one I can ever be with. And even she doesn't want me.

I guess I can see Ryan's appeal. Ryan is new, exciting. He's also normal. But Ness can't ever be normal with him. She's a half-vampire and Ryan won't ever understand. He'll die one day and Nessie will be her same age forever.

After running from the house, which basically had unlucky all over it, I phased. It was easier to deal with grief when I wasn't human. As a wolf all you feel is instinct. The human feelings faded enough to where you knew they still existed but didn't hurt nearly as bad. I guess I was a coward, but I couldn't face my breaking heart or Nessie not even wanting to care about me.

I ran for miles, until I was nearly to Arkansas. I knew I needed to turn back, try and sort things out with her. So I did. I turned back because my heart belonged to her. And always would. There was no pretending I didn't care. Because she was the girl I imprinted on. The only one I could ever love. Geez, with age, I was turning into such a sappy hallmark greeting card.

Around dusk, I returned to the house. I stared in through the windows and saw the Cullens all sitting around the kitchen table, lecturing Nessie from what I could tell. She kept sinking in her seat, cheeks pink. I laughed bitterly. Even when she had hurt me terribly, I still loved her more than ever. Everything she did made me love her. Even when she couldn't return my feelings.

Damn imprinting. Damn girls. Damn everything. I didn't want to deal with any of it. I decided I'd sleep outside tonight in wolf form. I couldn't face Nessie-not yet.

I paced around in a circle under the porch. Then I laid down, closed my eyes, and fell into a sleep filled with relentless, broken-hearted dreams.

_Author's note: I had a hard time writing Jacob. Partially because I've never felt such heart-wrenching sorrow and partially because I'm not a teenage boy. Nessie and Marianna are so much easier for me. So please, let me know if there is anything I could change or make better about this little Jacob rant. Thanks!_


	17. Hating Myself

Renesmee

I don't know what's worse. Hating yourself for doing something awful to the person you love or knowing you enjoyed it and would do it again.

I sat at the table and had my parents lecture me. Even their disappointment in me wasn't punishment enough. I needed them to tell me that they hated me for what I did to Jacob, that they had every reason to disown me for doing what I did. But they'd never tell me that. And I couldn't help but wish for Ryan's arms to be wrapped around me so he could whisk me away.

"Renesmee Carlie Cullen, are you listening to me?" my father growled.

"Yes, Dad. I really think I need to talk to Jacob about this," I whispered.

"Honey, let's get you to bed. You need to get some rest and then in the morning you have some apologizing and explaining to do to both boys," my mother told me sternly. I nodded my head and went upstairs to my bedroom.

After washing myself off and getting into bed, I decided to call Ryan. I didn't know why but I just needed to hear his voice, to reassure me that I had made the right decision in kissing him.

"Nessie?" he answered, wearily but happily.

"Yeah."

"Why are you calling?" he asked. I was so happy to hear his voice, all doubts faded from my mind.

"I just-I just needed to talk to you. To remind me why I did what I did," I smiled.

"Ah, I understand," I could hear him grin on his end of the line. "Ness, I know that you probably can't be with me for whatever reason, but I'm glad you kissed me today."

"I'm glad I did too," I told him and it was the truth. No matter how much hurt I caused I had no regrets. And because of that, I felt awful for Jacob. Suddenly sombered, I whispered, "God, Ryan, I'm such a bitch."

"No, Ness, you're not. Not in my eyes."

"But I am! How could I do this to Jacob?" Remorse stung my eyes.

"Nessie, shhh, its okay. You would've broken up at some point any way," Ryan said.

"No, that's just the thing. We would've been together. Forever. And when I say forever, I really mean _forever,"_ I was losing it. Everything I'd done today was crashing down on me. I loved them both and hated myself. I hated what I was and what I was bound to. I wanted it all to end.

"Nessie, most people don't marry their high school sweetheart. And if they do, those marriages don't turn out well. Surely a girl as smart as you understands that, right?" he said attempting to get me to think things through.

"Ryan, you don't' understand. Jacob and I are different. Like more different than any of those couples you're talking about," I didn't have the will power to stop. If I told Ryan the secret, I didn't care. I didn't care about any of it anymore.

"Nessie, are you all right? You sound kind of…"he trailed off.

"Crazy? I'm going insane, Ryan. Between loving Jacob and loving you and trying to keep so many secrets from everyone and not being normal, I just can't take it anymore!" I cried.

"Ness…. What are you talking about? What secrets? You always seemed perfectly normal to me," Ryan asked, perfectly perplexed.

"Ryan, I'm sorry, I just… I can't… I'll see you at school on Monday," I told him and hung up the phone.

Then, out of perfect hatred of myself and the life I was currently leading, I cried myself to sleep.

_Author's note: I can't believe I've actually gotten this far with this fanfic. I never stick with stories this long. But this one just keeps continuing itself in my head and I just keep writing. As I was writing this, I decided Ness needed to have inherited both her parents' flair for dramatics. :) Thanks for all the review! Keep reading! _


	18. It's What You Do To Me

Monday came eventually, after I avoided Jacob all weekend. I knew it was cowardly but, I mean, how could I face him after what I'd done? I couldn't go back and undo it and I didn't want to. I knew I'd hurt him, and I was sorry for that. But I didn't want to be with him. Not yet, anyways. I wanted to experiment, to be a teen for a little while. He was the one who had suggested that, for crying out loud. And after meeting Ryan, I knew it was true. I wasn't ready for a commitment like I had thought I wanted.

All day Sunday, I avoided the rest of my family too. I didn't want to talk to anyone. So I stayed in my room and just chilled out, reading bits and pieces of my favorite books.

"I'm sorry about Saturday night, Ryan," I told him in civics class. Seth was being all googly-eyed over Marianna like normal, so it wasn't like he was paying any attention to my conversation with Ryan. "I just lost it a bit."

Ryan smiled and my breath caught, "Yeah, I understand. It happens to the best of us. You're okay now, though, right?"

"Right."

"So did you and Jacob officially call it off?" Ryan asked curiously. I propped my elbows up on his desk and perched my face on my hands so I could look directly into his deep blue eyes.

"Not really," I confessed sheepishly. "I avoided him all weekend. But I figured out something."

"And that is?" Ryan murmured, his warm breath sweet on my face.

"I wanna be with you. Maybe not forever. But for now, I want to be yours," I whispered.

"And I'll be yours," he spoke softly, his voice caressing the words, making them sound like a song.

The bell rang and I turned back around in my seat to face Mrs. Landry as she talked about economies.

After class, Ryan grabbed my hand as we walked down the halls.

The girl who had glared at me on the first day of school-the pre-vampire Rosalie looking one- muttered, "Slut," at me as she passed.

"Why did she call me that?" I asked Ryan, quite alarmed. "Who does she think she is? Who is that, anyways?"

"Oh that's just Darla Browning. Ignore her. She's had a crush on me since like the third grade. But she's cruel and rude, so I never returned the feelings," Ryan explained as we turned into science.

"Oh," I nodded, as if I understood, even though I didn't, not really.

During science, we worked on a crossword puzzle on atoms and talked about ourselves a bit.

"So, Ness, would you like to come home with me after school today? There's something I'd like to show you," he invited. Chills went up my back and I quickly told him, yes, I would love too.

"Great," he grinned. "Meet me in the courtyard?"

"As you wish," I kissed him on the nose before skipping off towards design.

Luckily, the day passed quickly without consequence. I sat alone at lunch and Jacob didn't pursue me. My other classes were lonely as always, since I didn't really know anyone, but the thought of meeting Ryan after school warmed me.

Finally, the end came and I ran to meet Ryan in the courtyard. There he was as promised, in his worn leather jacket and ripped up jeans, sitting on a bench waiting for me.

"Ryan!" I squealed and ran up to him. He laughed and held my hand as we walked to the parking lot. He had just gotten his license a week earlier, upon turning 16. His car was a small blue pick-up truck that smelled highly of dirt on the inside.

"It was my dad's. He's a geotechnical engineer," he apologized, eyes on the road. When we finally got to his house, I was giddy with excitement.

I climbed out of the car and we walked to the front door. He unlocked it and we went inside. It wasn't a very big house, but it was a nice one.

"My parents aren't home yet, just to let you know," he said as he led me to his backyard. I sat on a bench swing. "Wait here," he told me, as he dashed back inside the house.

I let my feet dangle off the edge of the swing. I focused on the light blue of the sky and the chirping of the birds. I liked feeling the warmth of the sun on my body, even though I couldn't tan or burn. My parents and aunts and uncles had stayed home today, because of the sun. I hardly sparkled at all in the sun so it didn't make a difference if I went or not. When I was younger, I had sparkled some, but now, it was barely noticeable at all.

Ryan returned, guitar in hand. "You play guitar?" I asked, incredulous.

"Yeah," he smiled and sat down across from me. He began to play a tune that took me a moment to recognize. And then he began to sing.

He had a marvelous voice, "I wanna hold your hand, I wanna hold your hand. And when I touch you I feel happy inside. It's such a feeling that my love, I can't hide, I can't hide, I can't hide."

I giggled at his song choice. I couldn't hide my love for him either.

"What's another song you want to hear?"

"Um what about…. Hey there Delilah by the Plain White Tees?" I asked. That had always been one of my favorite songs.

"Hey there Delilah, what's it like in New York CitY? I'm a thousand miles away but girl, tonight you look so pretty. Yes you do. Times Square can't shine as bright as you. You know it's true," he strummed, a smile playing on his beautiful lips. I closed my eyes, enjoying the beauty of a moment, pushing all thoughts of Jacob from my mind. All that mattered was Ryan and me. "Oh, it's what you do to me. Oh, it's what you do to me. Oh it's what you do to me. Oh it's what you do to me. What you do to me."

I tilted my head back and listened to this song. How could everything be so wonderful and so wrong at the same time? I told myself not to think and let my mind quiet. "Oh it's what you do to me," I whispered along to the lyrics….

_Author's Note: Just wanted to add a little disclaimer here. I don't own the wonderful "I Want to Hold Your Hand" By the Beatles or "Hey There Delilah by the incredible Plain White Tees, unfortunately :( Thanks for all the amazing reviews I've gotten on the past couple of chapters. Reviewers, you are what makes this story happen. If I didn't have you, I probably wouldn't be able to go on with writing it. So thank you :) More is coming! _


	19. Interrupted

**-RYAN-**

Nessie sat on the swing and watched me play. The sun glinted off her copper curls and a smile played peek-a-boo in her chocolate eyes. She was so beautiful. It was still hard to believe she'd chosen me over Jacob.

I still kept wondering what she had meant on Saturday night about her not being normal, about having some sort of "big secret". But I figured she'd tell me when she was ready. So I hadn't mentioned it. But my curiosity did nag at me.

I kept strumming, focusing on playing and singing. She was watching me intently and I liked having her eyes on me. I smiled and she returned the gesture, her white teeth sparkling in the sun. I was so smitten with her that I almost didn't notice her smile falter.

"Ryan," she whispered, frowning all of the sudden. "There's something I need to tell you."

"Okay, shoot," I told her.

"I need your full attention. And you have to promise you'll never tell anyone you know," her eyes stared at me with intensity and the urgency in her voice startled me.

"I'll never tell anyone," I swore. And I meant it.

"It'll be my life if anyone finds out you know. And yours. But I can't hide from you. Not anymore," she said sadly to herself.

"What is it, Ness? You can trust me. You know you can," I put down the guitar and went to sit down next to her on the swing. She kissed me and I held her hand close to me.

"Well you see, my family and I aren't what you think. Not at all. My parents aren't Esme and Carlisle, they're actually…"

"Nessie!" a girl's voice screamed, breaking off the confession. Nessie's adoptive sister Alice came storming into the yard, followed by Bella and Edward, whom I'd only met once quite briefly.

"You had us worried sick, Nessie! We had no idea where you where you went or who you were with. And here you are with him and then Alice…" Bella glanced at me.

"I'm sorry, guys. I didn't mean to make you nervous or anything. I just- Ryan invited me over and I wanted to come," then she turned to me. "I'm sorry, Ryan. I guess I have to leave now."

Now?! Leave now? When she was just about to reveal to me a secret so important I had to swear on my life? She couldn't.

But she did. They left, Nessie waving miserablely as her siblings ushered her out the yard.

I was unbelievably confused and vowed to myself to I _would_ figure out what the hell was going on with the Cullen family.

_Author's note: Okay guys, I put up a quiz on my profile to help me decide what to do next. Please help me out. I'm really pretty lost on whether I want Ryan to find out the secret. Like I know how this is going to end but I don't know what events are actually going to pan out in order for it to end like that. So send me your ideas! Please vote :) Thank you!_


	20. Understanding, Maybe

**-RYAN-**

I decided to follow them home. I was determined to know what their deal was and what was different about Nessie and her family. I didn't want to be separated from her because I loved her and wasn't willing to give her up, no matter what the secret was.

I hopped into my truck, grabbing the school directory from the floor and punching Nessie's address into my GPS. It was easy enough to get there and after about twenty minutes I reached a road that was apparently her driveway.

Her driveway was a long dirt road, that delved into a deep forest and -after traveling for a little while, I realized- a swamp. The road was narrow and I was worried about going off the edge; after all, I'd only gotten my license a few days ago and could hardly be considered an experienced driver. Finally, after about ten minutes of shaky, nervous driving, I made it to a clearing where a cool Acadian style house sat in the middle.

After knocking on the front door and ringing the doorbell several times, I decided to walk around back to see if maybe they were back there. What I saw there will make me sound like a total nutcase, but I swear it really happened.

There were three giant, horse-sized wolves, just standing in the backyard. I had seen some pretty weird animals in my life but nothing compared to these. They were all staring at one another, as if communicating in ways I couldn't hear. But, it got even weirder, believe it or not.

All of a sudden, the wolves' fur began to retract into their skin, they seemed to shrink before my very eyes. They weren't wolves anymore, but teenage boys. They retreated to a corner behind a shed and began to clothe themselves.

One turned around- the boy that had been a russet wolf just moments ago- and faced me.

"Holy Shit," I gasped in shock when I realized that the boy was Jacob. Like Nessie's Jacob. And the other boy was Seth. I fumbled in my pocket for my phone, needing to call Marianna. I wondered if she knew. The other boy was unknown to me, but it still scared me. What the hell?

I ran like hell back to my truck and fired it up. Just as I was leaving, I saw a confused Nessie, staring at me through the front door window. I just ignored her and drove off, scared for my life and confused at what was going on.

**MARIANNA**

When Ryan called me, he sounded scared out of his mind. "Ryan, what's going on?" I asked him, impatient. Ryan never stuttered and was rarely scared. I thought he was playing some kind of joke.

"Do you know?" Ryan stammered and I rolled my eyes. "Do you know what your boyfriend _is?_" He finally was able to get out.

"Yeah," I laughed, playing along. I didn't want to give too much away in case this really was a joke.

"You know, already?!" he asked me.

"Well, maybe not. Why don't you tell me what you think he is?" I egged him on, hoping he'd tell me what was going on.

"He's a wolf, Marianna. Like a werewolf. I saw him and Jacob and this other guy change. Nessie was trying to tell me she was different, that she and Jacob were meant for each other or some crap like that. Did you know about this, Mari?" Ryan was delirious.

"Yeah, Ryan, I did. And Nessie _is_ meant to be with Jacob. See, there's this thing called imprinting and it's like love at first sight and Jacob imprinted on Nessie, like Seth imprinted on…" I could hear Ryan's ragged breathing on the other line. "me. It isn't something you can control or change. It's forever. And when you aren't with the one you love, it's painful but you have to do what they ever it is they want for their life."

"So, what you're saying is because Renesmee is with me… she's hurting Jacob who has to obey her wishes?" Ryan whispered incredulously.

I nodded and even though he couldn't hear or see me do it, I knew Ryan knew I was agreeing. We'd been friends long enough that we were practically telepathic.

"So, where do I fit in?" Ryan murmured, hurt coating his voice.

"I don't know, Ryan. I don't know," I whispered, trying to calm him down. "Why don't you come over to my house? We need to talk."

"No, I'm just going to head home. Thanks for your help though," he hung up on me.

I put my phone down and stared at the wall in my bedroom, thinking about how different my life had become since the Cullens moved to town.

_Author's note: So, from the poll, the general consensus was that Ryan needed to figure out by himself. So now he knows about the wolves, just wait until he finds out about Ness! Thanks for your votes and all the reviews! Oh, and I need a name for this chapter! If you have any ideas, let me know!  
_


	21. Quite the Dilemma

Renesmee

As we ran home, Alice explained to me why they had shown up and made me leave Ryan's so fast. "I had a vision, Ness, of Ryan and you. The Volturi had you and were deciding what to do with you. I-I couldn't let that happen," Alice was perfectly distressed over the ordeal and my father put his arm around her.

"Renesmee, you promised us when we moved here that you wouldn't tell anyone our secret," my mother sighed, shaking her head. "First Jacob, now this. What does this boy have over you?"

"Mom, I just really like him. And maybe I'm sick of being what I am. Maybe I wish I didn't have this secret to keep. I wish I was normal!" I exclaimed throwing my arms in the air. My mother sighed once again.

"Honey, you aren't normal. I'm sorry you have this burden but there is nothing we can do to change it. You just have to accept it."

At least you had a choice in the matter, I thought and crossed my arms.

"Nessie, don't think things toward your mother that way," my father warned. God, is anything sacred?! I screamed with my mind and my father looked disapprovingly at me.

We finally arrived home and my parents decided to have a talk with Carlisle and Esme about whether or not we should move or pull me out of school since I 'obviously wasn't mature enough to handle this', as my mother said.

They sent me to my room and they went to converse in Carlisle's study. After awhile I became bored and went to stare out the window, since I had nothing better to do. I saw a dark blue truck coming up the drive, one that looked an awful lot like Ryan's. Sure enough, Ryan got out of the car and walked to the front door. I heard the door bell ring and my father yelled up to me telling me not to answer. Ryan then went around the back.

Oh my God, Jacob, Seth, and Embry were back there, I knew. Doing what, I had no idea. Ryan was back there before I could warn them. And then he ran back to his car, scared for his life. I ran down the stairs and to the front door, where he looked at me-for one terrified second- and was off.

"Papa?!" I called Carlisle and they all came to me, fast. "He knows. Ryan knows about the wolves," I panted and my parents looked at me, alarmed.

"He saw them?"

"Yes, he saw them. God, Mom, he knows. What have I done?" I cried.

"Ness, no need for these added dramatics," Carlisle told me. "But I guess we'll have to figure out what we're going to do with him. He knows about the wolves, but not about us. As long as that is all he knows, we should all be okay."

I nodded. "I'm pretty sure that's it. At the worst, he'll just think all of us are wolves."

The others nodded solemnly. Esme spoke next, "Let's hope that's all he can figure out."


	22. So, This is It

Renesmee

That night, Ryan texted me.

**Can u meet me school early tomorrow?**

I replied and told him that yes, I would.

So I did. I met him in the school courtyard. He smiled nervously when I walked up. "Sit down. I-I kinda have something to talk to you about." It was just like that day at the Myrtles. Nervousness gripped my stomach firmly and it was all I could do not to faint.

"So, what's up?" I asked him, trying hard not to betray anything in my voice.

"Well, I, I know about you and Jacob." He stated this matter-of-factly, not cutting any corners.

"What do you mean?"

"The whole imprinting deal. You know, because of what he is," he whispered. " A werewolf."

"Shape-shifter, actually," I told him, forgetting that I was supposed to let him do the talking this time. "But yeah."

"After I saw… them, Seth and Jacob and that other kid, I called Marianna and she explained it to me. Nessie, I really care about you. I do. I might even love you. But, I can't let you do this to Jacob. So, I think we need to, you know, break up. If that's what you can even call it. We weren't together, really, were we?"

"I don't know. Ryan, I love you. I-I," I was at a loss for words. I didn't know what to do or what to say or even what to feel.

"No, Ness. Don't fight me, please? You and I both know this is for the best. We aren't meant to be together and Jacob's a good guy. I don't want you to hurt him for me," Ryan explained and I understood him. But I wished that it didn't have to be like this.

"So, I guess, I guess this is it," I whispered.

"Yeah, this is it," Ryan kissed my nose. "We can be friends. But you need to be with Jacob. Come on, let's go to civics."

I nodded again and we walked side-by-side to our first class. Ryan and I could be friends. That would come easy. That wasn't what I needed to be worrying about.

What I needed to worry about was what I was going to tell Jacob later and if he would even want me back after what I'd done.


	23. Forgiven and Forgotten

Renesmee

Later that evening, I sat on the edge of Jacob's bed, waiting for him to come in from his garage. The rabbit had been having lots of problems lately and so Jacob had been spending all of his time and energy into fixing it. It was getting close to nine o'clock and I was sick of waiting.

But then, Jake came through the door, sweaty and oily from working.

"Nessie?" he squinted in the darkness. I could see him perfectly with my vampire vision and I watched his face collapse when I told him that it was me. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to apologize. And to tell you that, if you still want me, I'm here and that I won't ever hurt you again. But I understand if you don't want me anymore. I'm not exactly the best girlfriend, am I?"

He wiped his hand across his brow, making me remember why I did love him and making me forget all the reasons I hadn't wanted him. "Ness, you don't have to apologize."

"Yes, Jacob, I do. I was awful to you. You don't deserve to be treated like that. And I just up and left you. I kissed another boy and-" Jacob put his finger over my lips, our signal since I was little to tell me to shut up. It reminded me at how effortless we used to be and how I screwed it up.

"Nessie, stop," he said. "There's no need to say you're sorry. I know." And the next thing I knew his lips were on mine and he sat down beside me on his bed, kissing me intensely. It was like we used to be, before Louisiana, before Ryan, before I made a mess of things. Except it was better. _Overwhelmingly _better.

He forgave me, after all I'd done to him. It was like how the father just welcomed his son back in that Bible story the prodigal son. He didn't need an explanation, he didn't need repayment. He loved me even after all of it. That's the thing about our love I still don't completely understand. How he let me walk all over him, but when it was all said and done, none of the hurt mattered anymore. The damage I'd done to him, it was all forgiven and forgotten so easily, because we cared about each other enough to not worry about it. As cheesy as it sounds, we love each other, flaws and all.


	24. Epilogue: Mounting Forever

**Three years later**

"Renesmee Cullen," the principal of Mason Academy in St. Francisville, Louisiana called at my first high school graduation. I walked up to him, my hands swinging at my sides, to get my diploma. This is it… I thought, smiling to myself.

He handed me the diploma and I grinned at him. I had come so far these past three years. I thought back on the silly Ryan-me-Jacob love triangle freshman year. I had wanted to be different and rebellious. I had wanted normalcy and a steady human boyfriend. But Ryan was right. We weren't meant for one another. I was meant for Jacob and Ryan was supposed to be my friend. And that's how things had gone.

After graduation, a bunch of us went out to eat. Marianna and Seth-still the happy, optimistic couple we all loved-, Ryan and his new girlfriend, Meredith- who had been happily together for two months now-, Alice and Jasper, my parents, Emmett and Rose, and finally, Jacob and I. We got our table for twelve and I sat down between Ryan and Jacob.

Yes, it had been really awkward at first, trying to balance being **friends** with Ryan and being much more than that with Jacob. But we had figured it out. Ryan was off to Duke University in the fall and Jacob and I to NYU. Jake had waited a year to go to college so we could be together. My life was falling into place and I couldn't have asked for anything more.

Later that night, we got back to the house-which we were beginning to pack up in order to move again. Esme and Alice had planned a wonderful graduation party for Seth, Marianna and I, complete with streamers all around the living room and a banner proclaiming: **Congrats, Seth, Marianna and Nessie!**

Edward had baked a cake for the occasion and Seth and I were digging in-ravenous, as always.

"Can I have your attention, for a moment?" Jacob asked and all of our eyes followed him. "Ness, can you come here?" I looked up at my mother and father, who had huge genuine grins plastered on their beatific faces. Alice was jumping up and down in excitement across from me. Leah was chasing little Harry-her and David's two year old son- and trying to watch what was happening.

Jacob got down on one knee and I nearly screamed. Oh my God, Oh my God, Oh my… "Renesmee Carlie Cullen, will you marry me?" he asked, smiling. He pulled the little blue Tiffany ring box from his pocket and opened it for me to see. It was a beautiful platinum band, with a large round diamond in the center and two pear-shaped ones on the side.

"Yes, yes, yes!" I cried and jumped into his arms. I felt ready for the next step. And for real this time.

Emmett was hooting in the back of the kitchen, Esme and Carlisle smiled happily, and Aunt Rose attempted a smile-which turned out to be slightly more like a grimace. I laughed at her expression, knowing after all this time she still didn't like the idea of me being with a "dog".

Jacob hugged me and everything fell away, my family, Emmett's cheering, Seth's roaring laughter. I could no longer see Marianna's cheerful smile or my father's proud grin. All that was there was Jacob. My Jacob. The one who loved me unconditionally, forever and always. Literally. It was just the mounting of our forever, the rising of the sun of our life together. I was happy in that moment and felt more complete than most people do in entire lifetimes. And this-this was only the beginning.

_ Author's Note: Happy ending! Yay :D So, for once I put my insomnia to good use and finished up __**Rising Sun**__. I'm considering doing a spin-off or two and continuing Jake and Nessie's story, because even though their story seems finished, I'm not quite ready to give them up yet. So, yeah, let me know if you would like to see more from this fanfic and what you would like to see more of, and I'll do my best to honor your requests. Hope you enjoyed it. Oh, I'd also like to mention that Nessie's engagement ring is the Tiffany & Co. Round Brilliant With Pear-shaped Side stones, in case any of you were interested . Thanks for reading and for all of your support! **~Skye**_


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